Anybody relieved to cancel a cruise trip

[chisoxfan]

This is no doubt a strange post but thought I would share our thoughts after cancelling an October 2016 cruise. We had booked a Venice stay and 11 night X Constellation Venice to Istanbul. It was getting near time to book hotel and flights (planning to use points for both). We were concerned about Istanbul as a departure point, hotel availability in Venice, and trying to hook up with some business class seats (using points) which is always a headache. And cabin location and class, etc. Since I still work there was also minor stressing over 17 days off (I have some other vacations planned next year). Then there was other issues to work out (tours, insurance, limos). Money is always a concern but was not really on the list.

As I starting to get into this I reviewed everything with my wife and asked,

'are you really excited about this trip?' The answer from both of us was 'no' and we agreed to cancel and were happy about it. In analyzing this it was almost a burden to do all of the prep so far in advance. We had just been to Europe a few times and the trips were unforgettable but alot of work did go into the planning. I wouldn't say it was stressful but it did have an element of that and everything is so 'locked up in advance'.

Anyway we are more pumped up about having a few weeks to play in October. Maybe a last minute cruise, maybe a vacation but no 'planning pressure'. We may wind up sitting around the house thinking we could have been in Europe but I don't think so.

 

In perspective we have planned January Reflection cruises over the past few years and we couldn't be more excited about them (including 2016).

 

We have been blessed to take some very nice vacations over the past years but this is probably the first time not planning a cruise was exciting.

 

Anyway know this is an off beat post but felt compelled to share it. Definitely thinking about a major trip/ cruise in 2017 so we are far from 'giving up' our cruise fever completely.

[Keith1010]

We sometimes have cancelled a cruise and then replaced it with another one and felt good about our decision. When we have cancelled sometimes it was for similar reasons such as the challenge with flights both in terms of limited flights resulting in more than one stop and also the overall cost.

 

Keith

[OCruisers]

You aren't the only ones. It probably happens more often than you may think.

 

We had a cruise booked that we thought we wanted but it started getting complicated making arrangements to get home even with the help of our very good and long time travel agent. We decided it wasn't worth the hassle so cancelled. Not going was a big relief to us! :)

 

LuLu

[ClaudiaB]

Yes. We had a cruise planned and turns out we were going to be flying into London in the middle of the Olympics. We had things going on at home here and work was crazy with my husband, and we were getting stressed thinking about it. We cancelled and rebooked for two years later. We were definitely relieved.

 

We've cancelled land trips before too, just moved them back some or regrouped on something else.

[eandj]

I understand you completely. :) I am a detailed planner on vacations. It is well worth the hours and hours of research, as we book our own transportation needs, hotels and tours and we have never (knock on wood) booked a stinker. And we end up doing and seeing the things we want. But because I start "studying" and booking a half year or more in advance, I give myself enough time to take breaks in the process.

But...later, by the time the trip is planned I then have to move on to packing, getting the dog sitter scheduled, house sitter in line with duties, lawn or snow removal set up, etc. I am pretty not excited for the long overnight flight . And think...why aren't I thrilled to be on my way? hmmm.. No wonder DH loves traveling. See a pattern here? :p

 

Destination wise, I know DH has said no to Istanbul. (Sorry we missed that one.) And the Eastern European river cruise we considered for next year.... decided not to book last week. Too early to predict what will happen in world matters.

Edited September 16, 2015 by eandj

[dorisis]

YES, we have cancelled a very long and expensive cruise that was stressful for me because of flights and visas and several other reasons. It gave us the freedom to sit back and feel the relief. That, in turn, allowed us to book several less stressful cruises.

Edited September 16, 2015 by dorisis

[Project_gal]

What strikes me about this is that when those from the UK say that they have booked everything [cruise, flights, hotels and transfers] through Celebrity we are often flamed by those from the USA saying that we are stupid and it is much cheaper to do it yourself. Surely not having the stress of DIY is priceless.

[chisoxfan]

Thanks for the quick reply(s). Nice to see we are not alone in our thoughts. At the end of the day like everything I guess it is a reward/work equation. Is the perceived reward worth the sacrifice/work. In this instance we did not feel so and the cruise and travel planning seemingly offered more burden than reward.

That said we do not want to become complacent and lose the opportunity to travel while we are fortunate to experience and enjoy it.

 

Am looking forward to maybe a last minute Carib cruise off season or Las Vegas week- neat to think about.

 

Anyway, as stated, the Reflection in January is a no brainer trip that we can look forward to all year.

[FireEater]

I too believe this happens more often then one thinks.

 

For moi, I have a wife that needs a scooter to get around. Now logistically, that is the nightmare. Last off planes. Finding transportation that can/will take a scooter. Anchored ports of call vice dockside.

 

i do all the planning and logistics work, and let me tell you, it can be hard to accomplish a travel plan and feel comfortable executing it when doing air travel, even in the US...LOL

 

We were going to do an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle last year. What a nightmare that planning turned out to be to fly there and get transportation once there from airport to hotel to port. That, plus when checking prices to fly (2K) put the brakes on it and we just booked a cruise 1.5 hours away to a few new ports we have not visited.

 

That is why we just take our home state (Florida) cruises. 99% of vacations are cruises. We have 4 main ports we can drive to easily, and choose between most main line cruise lines for the date and cost we are willing to pay. No air travel. No overnight travel. No taxi's to worry about. Be it, the cruises are all Caribbean type, but we like the Caribbean...even repeat port visits to most. Easy Peasy. :)

Edited September 16, 2015 by FireEater

[cle-guy]

What strikes me about this is that when those from the UK say that they have booked everything [cruise, flights, hotels and transfers] through Celebrity we are often flamed by those from the USA saying that we are stupid and it is much cheaper to do it yourself. Surely not having the stress of DIY is priceless.

 

For me, the cruise planning is part of the fun. So I break it down over time. Crusie reservation, a few weeks later pick hotels, after that look to airfares, though for most of my travels the "sweet spot" for airfare is about 5 weeks out. Transfers, just handle by Taxi to the pier, and book Celebrity transfer on the Disembarkation Questionnaire once in the cruise itself.

 

And good thing for me waiting on airfare, my cruise in November, United just added back non-stops from Cleveland to FLL, had I booked before August, I'd have had to fly a day in advance due to flight timing with connections.

 

No stress at all.

 

Of course for me, I'm pretty brand loyal, so all I really look to us Marriott.com and United.com to plan all my travels. Though I do also look to kayak.com just to be sure my rates are "in line" with other similar hotels and airlines. I'm not gonna get worked up over saving $100 on an airfare, but lose my points accumulation on United, or free bag benefit, or upgrade benefits etc. Similarly, Marriott has so many hotels worldwide, and brands and price points, that in most major cities, I can find a rate I;m comfortable with, again, saving $50 a night isn't worth it to me to lose my points accumulation, free internet, complimentary upgrades, free concierge lounge/breakfast benefit.

 

I'm lifetime Gold with Marriott (only need about 60 more nights to lifetime platinum) and Only about 70,000 miles from Million Miler with United, getting me lifetime Gold perks. So my lifetime of loyalty is about to pay me back for the rest of my life. :-)

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Yes, we had a long cruise booked and wanted to add on a week of land travel. When we looked at the time away, the long flights, cost of business class tickets, etc. we decided it was not worth it and canceled. Booked another cruise in our 1st suite and have never looked back or regretted our decision.

 

If the rumored changes to dining on Infinity take place I suspect we will be cancelling that one too. Would like to cruise the Panama Canal but it is just not worth it to us, especially since we have a Royal Suite booked with unlimited dining. Would rather do a B2B Silhouette in a RS instead.

[Photo_Traveler]

As we were in the process of moving from Denver to Metro Boise,

We cancelled an Eclipse cruise Last March as well as a B2B on the OASIS during March of 2016.

 

Part of the reason we didn't follow through was twelve days under Code Red on a fifteen day Infinity Canal cruise in April of 2014. The best times were had off the ship with CC folks on tours.

 

Mike

[chisoxfan]

I too believe this happens more often then one thinks.

 

For moi, I have a wife that needs a scooter to get around. Now logistically, that is the nightmare. Last off planes. Finding transportation that can/will take a scooter. Anchored ports of call vice dockside.

 

i do all the planning and logistics work, and let me tell you, it can be hard to accomplish a travel plan and feel comfortable executing it when doing air travel, even in the US...LOL

 

We were going to do an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle last year. What a nightmare that planning turned out to be to fly there and get transportation once there from airport to hotel to port. That, plus when checking prices to fly (2K) put the brakes on it and we just booked a cruise 1.5 hours away to a few new ports we have not visited.

 

That is why we just take our home state (Florida) cruises. 99% of vacations are cruises. We have 4 main ports we can drive to easily, and choose between most main line cruise lines for the date and cost we are willing to pay. No air travel. No overnight travel. No taxi's to worry about. Be it, the cruises are all Caribbean type, but we like the Caribbean...even repeat port visits to most. Easy Peasy. :)

 

I can certainly appreciate the extra planning you must do. We just got off an Alaska cruise and we thought about some of the challenges our other cruisers faced. Probably should also have prefaced that we are attracted to cruising like most here because it is so easy and relaxing.... it is all that other travel stuff that gets in the way.

[chisoxfan]

For me, the cruise planning is part of the fun. So I break it down over time. Crusie reservation, a few weeks later pick hotels, after that look to airfares, though for most of my travels the "sweet spot" for airfare is about 5 weeks out. Transfers, just handle by Taxi to the pier, and book Celebrity transfer on the Disembarkation Questionnaire once in the cruise itself.

 

And good thing for me waiting on airfare, my cruise in November, United just added back non-stops from Cleveland to FLL, had I booked before August, I'd have had to fly a day in advance due to flight timing with connections.

 

No stress at all.

 

Of course for me, I'm pretty brand loyal, so all I really look to us Marriott.com and United.com to plan all my travels. Though I do also look to kayak.com just to be sure my rates are "in line" with other similar hotels and airlines. I'm not gonna get worked up over saving $100 on an airfare, but lose my points accumulation on United, or free bag benefit, or upgrade benefits etc. Similarly, Marriott has so many hotels worldwide, and brands and price points, that in most major cities, I can find a rate I;m comfortable with, again, saving $50 a night isn't worth it to me to lose my points accumulation, free internet, complimentary upgrades, free concierge lounge/breakfast benefit.

 

I'm lifetime Gold with Marriott (only need about 60 more nights to lifetime platinum) and Only about 70,000 miles from Million Miler with United, getting me lifetime Gold perks. So my lifetime of loyalty is about to pay me back for the rest of my life. :-)

 

I'm in a similar boat with Marriott (and Southwest) and agree domestic travel is a piece of cake (with free hotels and flights). The international takes a lot more planning IMHO with less options and certainly less familiarity with services. Also you usually have to lock things up in advance.

 

So yes a week cruise out of US or going to LV a fun hour of planning and no stress - 16 days international stay and cruise not so much.

[hcat]

Not so odd...to be relieved

 

Anything with long overseas flights, pre-cruise hotels/tours, cruise excursions, Euros ....etc. requires a lot of planning....and can be stressful and expensive.

 

We are happier cruising closer to home...mostly the caribbean but west coast as well. And around 10 days is ideal.

[cle-guy]

I'm in a similar boat with Marriott (and Southwest) and agree domestic travel is a piece of cake (with free hotels and flights). The international takes a lot more planning IMHO with less options and certainly less familiarity with services. Also you usually have to lock things up in advance.

 

So yes a week cruise out of US or going to LV a fun hour of planning and no stress - 16 days international stay and cruise not so much.

 

Perhaps my years of business travel have helped me a lot, one year I had businesses running in 5 countries simultaneously (US, Canada, Hungary, UK, and Australia). To me the only thing different about international travel versus flying CLE-LAX is the extra time spent on a plane, and perhaps having to stop at an ATM on arrival to get some local currency.

 

Not sure why you say these things all need done in advance....

 

But my real point is, take it 1 step at a time. Typically people book exotic cruises well in advance, so there are many months to figure out the hotel, transfer, flight situation. Also, to make things easy, stick to well-established international brands, rather than obsess over finding the cute hotel on a corner somewhere.

 

My biggest reason for sticking with Marriott on international travels, is I know the product and what will be in the room. I can count on Air conditioning no matter where I go, whereas some hotels in the UK and Europe sometimes have no A/C.

 

I've been doing some customer service chats, and one guest was way overwhelmed, so I help her find 1 hotel in Sydney, told her now you are half done, next week find your NZ hotel. Then advised checking Kayak.com for airfare.

 

Honestly Kayak.com makes booking air and hotel simple. And cruises leave out of large cities that have all the typical hotel chains in them so there is simplicity in that as well, we're not trying to find a motel at an oasis in the middle of the Sahara Dessert.

 

Now I realize many ports of call have little local infrastructure as far as international brands, but the vast majority of embarkation ports this all will be relatively simple to accomplish.

 

Now if one adds lad tip to their cruise, then yes, the land trip planning can become cumbersome, unless staying in a single hotel. But this is not the cruise causing distress, its the extra travel adding stress.

[eandj]

What strikes me about this is that when those from the UK say that they have booked everything [cruise, flights, hotels and transfers] through Celebrity we are often flamed by those from the USA saying that we are stupid and it is much cheaper to do it yourself. Surely not having the stress of DIY is priceless.

 

It's not just people in the UK that use the cruiselines or travel agents to plan their trips. And I certainly wouldn't consider anyone that does "stupid".:confused: Like you say, it is a convenient service that you pay for.

 

We are are a retired couple who loves to travel. When we started cruising and traveling years ago, we followed the sheep, taking whatever was handed to us. Yes it certainly was easy to do. ;)

But now we are wiser and more particular and I have the time and interest to do the "work". I do get carried away with details and shopping around for the values and conveniences of interest to us. But planning trips is sort of a hobby for me. (We have friends who call me to offer suggestions and help for different hotels and tour companies.) So I do things in steps and run options by DH for us to make a joint decision. We like to have the flexibility of choosing when we want to fly, where we want to stay and which tour companies will give us what we are interested in. But yes...you have to have the interest and time to be this involved.:D This summer my daughter had a big wedding in mid June and we did the Baltic in mid July. Hectic spring,...but a fantastic cruise..and wedding.

 

No right or wrong way. I figure if someone is computer savvy enough to be on cruisecritic, I always suggest with a little time, they can book a hotel probably for less money and in a location that they prefer, not just the one the cruiseline has a deal with. If they don't want to, then the agents and cruiselines will happily do it.

Edited September 16, 2015 by eandj

[RICCruisers]

We had originally booked the Sept 7 Equinox from Barcelona to Istanbul. We cancelled last fall and changed to the Equinox May 11 Barcelona to Rome. Cancelled due to the beginning of some concerns with Istanbul that were just beginning at that time. Very happy we made the change with overnight being cancelled and the Noro issue that took place this summer on Equinox. Plus we met some great people on our excursions and didn't have to spend the summer worrying about anything other than what to pack for our January Caribbean and May Alaska cruises.

 

Yes we got hooked back into cruising after 10 years away and doing all land vacations.

[chemmo]

One of the problems with cruising (and I don't admit to many) is at times you are trying to predict your life, work, family commitments, health..... sometimes in excess of two years.

 

There is a point where the type of holiday you need (crash out, adventure, explore) changes over time and also the value you put on a holiday changes.

 

To cancel because you realise at a specific point in time the vacation you booked (possibly years ahead) is not what you need is both wise and sensible.

 

Venice is, to me, one of the most amazing places on the planet and cruising from her is truly an experience not to be missed. I hope in the future you will still visit.

 

Sincere best wishes for your future cruises and thanks for sharing your feelings with others.

[sonia2509]

I cannot believe people here are complaining about organising your holidays! Think how lucky you all you can take cruises/holidays see the world. As we say in Australia this is a "first world problem"

 

 

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[Pavovsky]

Two suggestions - 1.,take the Royal Clipper around the Caribbean or 2. Go to Asia which is quite a long flight but an amazing experience with great bang for buck on 5 star hotels.

 

 

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[chisoxfan]

I cannot believe people here are complaining about organising your holidays! Think how lucky you all you can take cruises/holidays see the world. As we say in Australia this is a "first world problem"

 

 

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Yes, it does seem indulgent to 'complain' about organizing a Holiday but I worked hard for my family and assets, haven't stolen, cheated, or lied to achieve them, have paid a MAJOR amount of my wages in taxes so I am not going to begrudge myself and family some relaxing vacation time in our mature years.

[chisoxfan]

One of the problems with cruising (and I don't admit to many) is at times you are trying to predict your life, work, family commitments, health..... sometimes in excess of two years.

 

There is a point where the type of holiday you need (crash out, adventure, explore) changes over time and also the value you put on a holiday changes.

 

To cancel because you realise at a specific point in time the vacation you booked (possibly years ahead) is not what you need is both wise and sensible.

 

Venice is, to me, one of the most amazing places on the planet and cruising from her is truly an experience not to be missed. I hope in the future you will still visit.

 

Sincere best wishes for your future cruises and thanks for sharing your feelings with others.

 

Thank you. Yes Venice remains on the bucket list. We were in doubt about spending five nights there which was part of the plan. Probably a Venice Florence combo on one of our next trips.

[Pavovsky]

Yes, it does seem indulgent to 'complain' about organizing a Holiday but I worked hard for my family and assets, haven't stolen, cheated, or lied to achieve them, have paid a MAJOR amount of my wages in taxes so I am not going to begrudge myself and family some relaxing vacation time in our mature years.

 

 

Well said.

 

 

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[sonia2509]

I also work very hard and have paid taxes and done the same as you and have raised 3 wonderful adults who also work hard but seriously complaining about organising a holiday. I love organising a holiday and that is when I de-stress from my work and I do it all on my own. My TA only does the cruise side. I just think of so many people in this world who would love to be in your shoes

 

 

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